Connection part between a panel and a support

ABSTRACT

Comprises a body provided with an elongated segment that crosses an orifice made in the support, which may be a sector of a vehicle body, on the body locking a recess belonging to a retainer joined to a panel. It incorporates an overinjected part made of a soft and compressible material on the body, which is provided with an absorption ring that envelopes a segment of the body and is in contact with a neck of the retainer absorbing the lateral compressions resulting from positional misalignments due to manufacturing errors and expansions of the support and the panel.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention mainly applies to the automotive field and relatesto a connection part used to attach any panel, such as a vehicle doorpanel, to a support, such as a sector of a vehicle body.

The object of the invention is that the connection part absorb thedimensional deviations existing between the panel and the support withinassembly tolerances, as well as absorbing the slight positionalvariations produced in the assembly situation due to the unequalexpansion of the parts due to the inner and outer vehicle temperaturesand the different coefficient of expansion of the materials conformingthe panel and the support.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The connection parts normally used to join a panel to the vehicle bodyare located on the vehicle body ready to receive a carriage or retainerelement of the panel that is inserted by sliding until it is coupled.

The different temperatures to which the panel and the vehicle body aresubjected and the various materials conforming them result in expansionsof these elements that harm the attachment of the panel and the body,even damaging the panel. This situation can also be worsened by the factthat the initial adjustment between parts has been forced because of thedimensional deviations of the coupled elements from their nominaldimensions.

In order to solve this drawback a number of developments are proposedsuch as those discussed in Invention Patent EP 0 939 234, whichdescribes a connection between a support and a panel that comprises aconnection part that locks in the vehicle body and a cartridgeassociated to the panel provided with a bushing in which the upperoverhanging segment of the connection part is coupled. The bushing iscentred and connected to the cartridge body by a number of elasticallydeformable spiral ribs, so that the positional misalignments that mayexist between the upper part of the connection part and the retentionring within fabrication tolerances may be absorbed by the elasticdeformation of the ribs. Similarly, the ribs will absorb the variationsresulting from the expansion of the panel or the vehicle body.

Another possible solution considered in Invention Patent EP 0 937 898consists in that the connection part incorporates an upper crown withthe aforementioned spiral elastic ribs, which will absorb thedimensional variations when coupled to the retainer element of thepanel. This solution can also be seen in Invention Patent ES 2 163 221.

On another hand, U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,768 discusses a connection unitbetween a vehicle body support and a panel, which is provided with aretainer associated to the panel in which a connection part is coupledthat is previously attached to the body by anchoring elements on itslower elongated segment and is provided with a number of discs thatenter by lateral sliding in corresponding recesses defined in thesupport, this connection part mainly standing out in that itincorporates a circular elastic gasket that rests on the inner face ofthe vehicle body to prevent leaks through the orifice made in said bodythrough which passes the elongated lower segment of the connection part.

The use of this elastic gasket is also considered in Invention Patent EP0 964 170.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The union part between the panel and the support, such as a vehiclebody, proposed by this invention mainly stands out by incorporating abody provided with positional absorption means consisting of a soft andcompressible plastic ring that absorbs the relative positionalvariations that may arise between the panel and the body as a result ofmanufacturing errors and/or expansion of said elements.

The panel has a retainer provided with at least one recess for itsinsertion by sliding on the body of the connection part when assemblingthe panel, while the connection part is previously connected to thevehicle body by an elongated lower segment of the body that crosses anorifice of the vehicle body and is attached to it by the correspondingretention means.

The body is provided next to the top of the elongated body with adisc-shaped base and an intermediate disc-shaped segment and an upperdisc-shaped segment. The upper disc-shaped segment enters theaforementioned recess of the retainer, while the immediately lowersegment between the disc-shaped upper segment and intermediate segmentconstitutes the location of the absorption ring.

The retainer recess is limited on the bottom by a plate with a neck thatlocks by sliding of the panel in the absorption ring, therebyestablishing a coupling between the retainer and the connection part inthe position of contact between the retainer neck and the absorptionring.

The absorption ring is obtained from a single overinjection operationperformed on the body of the connection part, this operation yielding asingle overinjected part consisting of an annular base provided with aninner radial extension that finishes at an end where a cylindrical stemrises vertically, from which in turn the aforementioned absorption ringextends internally.

The annular base is conformed on the disc-shaped base described aboveand constitutes a sealing gasket that prevents leaks through the orificemade in the body to which the connection part is coupled.

The absorption ring therefore envelopes the aforementioned segment ofthe body and absorbs the movements between the panel and the body, or inother words absorbs the movements originated between the neck of theretainer belonging to the panel and the segment of the body joined tothe vehicle body. The absorption capacity of the ring in a radial sensewill be approximately +/−3 mm for a ring and neck diameter of about 9-10mm.

The ring therefore has a compression capability that allows absorbingthe relative lateral displacement between the panel and the vehicle bodyto absorb the expansion or construction irregularities within specifictolerances.

The stem described above is housed in radial grooves made in thedisc-shaped base and in the intermediate disc-shaped segment, andconstitutes the point from where the absorption ring and the annularbase are overinjected.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complete the description being made and in order to aid a betterunderstanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to anexample of a preferred embodiment of the invention, a set of drawings isaccompanied forming an integral part of the description where, forpurposes of illustration and in a non-limiting manner the following isshown:

FIG. 1. Shows an elevation view of the connection part object of thisinvention coupled to the vehicle body, on which the panel retainer isfitted.

FIG. 2. Shows an elevation view of the body of the connection part.

FIG. 3. Shows a perspective view of the part obtained by overinjection.

FIG. 4. Shows a cross-section elevation view of the connection part.

FIG. 5. Shows a perspective view of the connection part in which theoverinjected part and the body can be seen.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The connection part between a panel and a support that is the object ofthis invention is of the type comprising a body (1) formed by adisc-shaped base (2) from which an elongated segment (3) runs downwardand crosses an orifice made in the support (4), which may be a sector ofa vehicle body, and is inserted in a retention bushing (5), as well ashaving on the top of the disc-shaped base (2) an intermediatedisc-shaped segment (6) and an upper disc-shaped segment (7) on whichlocks a recess (8) belonging to a retainer (9) joined to the panel (notshown), this recess (8) being limited on its bottom by a plate (11)provided with a neck (12) for coupling the body (1).

From this basic construction, the connection part object of thisinvention mainly stands out in that it incorporates an overinjected part(13) made of a soft and compressible material on the body (1) that isprovided with an absorption ring (14), enveloping a segment (18) of thebody (1) located between the intermediate disc-shaped segment (6) andthe upper disc-shaped segment (7), the absorption ring (14) being incontact with the neck (12) and absorbing the lateral compressions causedby positional misalignments due to manufacturing errors and expansionsof the support (4) and the panel.

The overinjected part (13) comprises an annular base (10) thatconstitutes a sealing gasket provided with an inner radial extensionthat finishes at an end where a cylindrical stem (15) is determinedvertically upward, in which the absorption ring (14) extends internally.

In the disc-shaped base (2) and the intermediate disc-shaped segment (6)are provided radial grooves (16) in which the cylindrical stem (15) ishoused to constitute the point from where the annular base (10) and theabsorption ring (14) are overinjected.

The absorption ring (14) may include a number of orifices (17)distributed on its surface to facilitate its compression.

1. Connection part between a panel and a support of the type comprisinga body formed by a disc-shaped base from which an elongated segment runsdownward and crosses an orifice made in the support, which may be asector of a vehicle body, and is inserted in a retention bushing, aswell as having on the top of the disc-shaped base an intermediatedisc-shaped segment and an upper disc-shaped segment on which locks arecess belonging to a retainer joined to the panel, this recess beinglimited on its bottom by a plate provided with a neck for coupling thebody, wherein it incorporates an overinjected part made of a soft andcompressible material on the body, which is provided with an absorptionring that envelopes a segment of the body located between theintermediate disc-shaped segment and the upper disc-shaped segment, theabsorption ring being in contact with the neck and absorbing the lateralcompressions caused by positional misalignments due to manufacturingerrors and expansions of the support and the panel.
 2. Connection partbetween a panel and a support according to claim 1, wherein theoverinjected part comprises an annular base that constitutes a sealinggasket provided with an inner radial extension that finishes at an endwhere a cylindrical stem rises vertically, inside which the absorptionring extends internally.
 3. Connection part between a panel and asupport according to claim 1, wherein the disc-shaped base and theintermediate disc-shaped segment are provided radial grooves in whichthe cylindrical stem is housed to constitute the point from where theannular base and the absorption ring are overinjected.
 4. Connectionpart between a panel and a support according to claim 1, wherein theabsorption ring is provided with a number of orifices distributed on itssurface to facilitate its compression.
 5. Connection part between apanel and a support according to claim 2, wherein the disc-shaped baseand the intermediate disc-shaped segment are provided radial grooves inwhich the cylindrical stem is housed to constitute the point from wherethe annular base and the absorption ring are overinjected.
 6. Connectionpart between a panel and a support according to claim 2, wherein theabsorption ring is provided with a number of orifices distributed on itssurface to facilitate its compression.
 7. Connection part between apanel and a support according to claim 3, wherein the absorption ring isprovided with a number of orifices distributed on its surface tofacilitate its compression.